October 2014

October 30, 2014

With just one night of games remaining in the regular season in the state’s lower three classes, there is still plenty up in the air for all three area regions.

Some know they’re in the playoffs; others are hoping for one last win or possibly some outside help.

The two Thursday games involving Region VII-AAA teams provided some clarity as to which three teams will join Myrtle Beach in playoff contention.

Georgetown clinched the region’s No. 2 seed and a home playoff game with a win over Wilson on the road, while St. James’ win over Lake City eliminated in the Panthers from contention. That leaves only third and fourth place to be decided.

October 28, 2014

Now would be an important time to remind everyone exactly what the state rankings that we've been voting on all season really mean.

Nada. Zip. Zilch.

Unlike the college playoffs, which released their first team rankings on Tuesday, the polls below have zero impact on region finishes and playoff seedings (or lack thereof). They're good conversation fodder, both for what us South Carolina prep writers believe each team has earned and what they're long-term potential will be.

Why do we bring that up now? Well, in just a few days, the playoff brackets for Classes AAA, AA and A will be released, and because of a rotating region preference in Class AAA, a Class AA playoff shake-up and the Class A strength-of-schedule system, there are plenty of aspects that can shape the state postseasons.

Polls are fun to talk about, but in reality, they don't equate to much. At least not yet.

For the fourth consecutive week, the overall rushing leader on the Grand Strand is a different person. Kamron Johnson, Michael Billings and Dyverse Simmons had their shot. Now, it's Waccamaw's Kevin Gasque.

The 6-foot, 180-pound junior turned in a solid personal effort in a loss at Marion to bolt not only into first place, but beyond the 1,000-yard plateau. He and Simmons are the lone two to do so to this point, but they probably won't be the last. As many as four more could join them this week by simply reaching their personal per-game averages.

The playoff-bound teams and Class AAAA schools will also have at least one additional week to get there.

October 27, 2014

Five area seniors were selected for the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl North vs. South game on Monday. The event, formerly known as the North-South All-Star Football game, will be played Saturday, Dec. 13 at Myrtle Beach's Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium on Dec. 13.

October 25, 2014

A handful of area teams are going to be biting finger nails next week.

Outside of Myrtle Beach and Loris, no other local teams are locked into the playoffs. As many as 10 could eventually qualify (St. James in Class AAA and Green Sea-Floyds in Class A have been mathematically eliminated). However, there are also scenarios present in which eight of the 12 Grand Strand football teams are not involved in the postseason.

October 23, 2014

Two of the men leading Loris through what has already been one of the better seasons in school history both pointed to other teams.

First, it was head coach Jamie Snider, who referenced a 2011 match-up against Timberland in the playoffs. The Wolves were loaded with talent, but at least seven players, Snider remembered, were going both ways.

“They were borderline iron-man football,” Snider said. “They had seven guys playing both ways. … Other teams have had success [playing both ways].”

He brought that up because this season, Loris (8-0) has been winning games with six players doing the same thing.

October 21, 2014

Myrtle Beach is closing in on a regular-season wire-to-wire No. 1 state ranking.

With two more wins, it stands to reason the Seahawks would hold on to the top spot in the Class AAA poll, the same spot they were in the preseason after winning the 2013 state title. Myrtle Beach's lead over No. 2 Hartsville may have slimmed some, but it's hard to imagine - with two more victories - Mickey Wilson's team won't stay exactly where it is.

Meanwhile, Loris is almost assured to move one direction or the other this week. Beat No. 1 Dillon, and the Lions probably take over No. 1. Drop the game, and Jamie Snider's team likely drops at least one spot.

While we start to hand out playoff berths and figure out seed in the next two weeks, another race is quietly getting very interesting.

The area's leading rusher missed a game for the third consecutive week last Friday, meaning the Grand Strand's overall leader has its third new name atop the list. For now, it's Carolina Forest sophomore Dyverse Simmons. The running back went for 206 yards in a loss to South Florence, meaning he is the first local tailback to surpass 900 yards on the season.

However, based on production in recent weeks (and throughout the year), we could realistically have as many as seven or eight players hit the 1,000-yard mark in just the regular season. That would be an improvement over last year, when four area players hit quadruple digits between the regular season and playoffs combined.

In the other three primary categories, Myrtle Beach quarterback Drayton Arnold continued to hold onto a solid lead in passing yards and total touchdowns, while Seahawks' outside threat Kyle Belack is still atop receiving yards.

October 18, 2014

The majority of area teams find themselves in what is going to be a playoff hunt that will go down to the wire. For the state's lower three classes, some are going to be celebrating a little extra on Halloween night - the final evening of the regular season - while others are going to know they just missed an opportunity to continue their seasons.

For the local Class AAAA region, it likely won't be settled until the following week. After two and three weeks, respectively, of region play, we may only have more questions than answers.

About the author

Ian Guerin has been covering sports in Myrtle Beach since 2005 and in South Carolina since 2004. In that time, he has served as a reporter on the college and high school beats at multiple publications. You can reach him directly via ian@ianguerin.com.

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